World of Remnant
by Marphisa
Summary: A collection of one-shots based on various prompts. Each chapter will be about a different character or topic expanding on the world of Remnant (hence the title).
1. Lies

**LIES**

 _Favorite Character_

Jaune struggled with his conscience sometimes. He linked to think he was mostly a good person, but he had faked his transcripts to get into Beacon. There was the initial _adjusted_ transcripts, but every interaction he'd ever had at Beacon was based on the assumption that he was qualified to be there when he knew he wasn't. That seemed like lying on a pretty grand scale, lying to everyone he'd ever met at Beacon.

If he thought about it too long, he felt like he'd personally let Professor Ozpin down. Beacon had a prestigious reputation as the best training academy in all of Remnant. The best of the best at Signal vied for a chance to study at Beacon. Even a corporate heiress like Weiss and a champion fighter like Pyrrha had chose Beacon over the training academies in Atlas and Mistral. All Jaune had done to earn his place at Beacon was forge some documents.

Pyrrha - somehow she made Jaune feel better and worse about his less than honest methods. She was so _nice_ when she found out, offering to help him instead of telling one of the professors and getting him kicked out like Cardin had threatened to do. Pyrrha, quite possibly the best person he knew, had chosen to keep his secret and help him; and that made him feel like he couldn't be all that bad. Then again, if he were ever caught, there was a chance of dragging Pyrrha down with him; and that made him feel even worse.

Jaune knew he could come clean at any time. He could just tell Professor Ozpin what he'd done and go home. There would never be another chance to be a Huntsman, but he could always head back to the farm. He wasn't _bad_ at farming. In fact, he was a lot better at farming than he was at fighting. Being a farmer just didn't fit his idea of someone who made a difference in people's lives.

Dust burn it all! Beacon was his one chance to do something worthwhile with his life. The _need_ to help people that had always burned deep down inside him would only be satisfied by fighting the forces of Grimm like his great-great-grandfather had. So he would stay at Beacon even if he had trouble looking Professor Ozpin in the eye sometimes. He would stay and learn to be the best Huntsman he could and make up for his sins by helping as many people as he could. That's exactly what he'd do.

Now if he could just keep from dozing off during Professor Port's lectures...


	2. Eyes

EYES  
Member of Team RWBY

"You...have silver eyes."

That's the first thing Professor Ozpin said to me. And, I mean, I get it. I like to see what color people's eyes are too. There are so many different cool colors!

Uncle Qrow's eyes are red. Yang's eyes are purple - unless her semblance is activated. Then they are red - but not red like Uncle Qrow's. Red like a campfire, not the center but not the edge either. Yeah, red like that.

Dad's eyes are blue. So are Jaune's. Pyrrha's eyes are so green they look like they glow. Blake's eyes are yellow, although that might be a faunus thing. I never thought to ask. And Ren's eyes are pink! So cool!

That crazy lady with the umbrella of death even has one pink eye and one brown eye.

So with so many cool eye colors, who would have thought my silver eyes would be special?

But now Uncle Qrow's telling me that my silver eyes mean I'm some kind of fairy tale hero that scares Grimm just by looking at them, which I don't believe because I've looked at plenty of Grimm and they have never been scared of my eyes.

But...there are pictures of that huge dragon Grimm frozen to the top of Professor Ozpin's tower; and Uncle Qrow says that I did that. I don't remember any of it - just that everything went white. And I guess I passed out a little.

And now Blake and Weiss are gone. And Pyrrha's dead. And Yang lost her arm and won't talk to anyone. And I'm supposed to be some fairy tale hero that saves everyone.

I don't feel like much of a hero. Heroes are supposed to protect people. I watched that woman kill Pyrrha. I wasn't there when Blake and Yang were hurt. I wasn't able to keep Mr. Schnee from taking Weiss back to Atlas.

I remember Blake saying life isn't a fairy tale… Yeah, life _isn't_ a fairy tale. But, I _do_ have silver eyes and some kind of power I never knew about before.

There's lots that's broken, and I can't fix it all; but I'm not the only one trying to fix things. Professor Goodwitch and Dr. Ooblek and Uncle Qrow and even Winter and General Ironwood are trying to fix things. So I'll fix what I can, and let them fix what they can. And maybe with everyone working on it, we can fix everything.

AN: I know Ruby's a bubbly personality, but she's been through the ringer. She's lost friends in one way or another; she's lost Yang to an extent; she's lost her school and the normalcy it provided. Hopefully, these are all temporary losses; but there's a got to be a moment when it all sinks in even if she's dealing with it really well. So this is my guess at an internal monologue to get her from waking up at home to leaving with Team RNJR.


	3. Goofball

**GOOFBALL**  
 _Member of Team JNPR_

Most people thought of Nora as a bit of a goofball. Considering her bubbly personality and penchant for nonsensical humor, the assumption wasn't hard to understand. Even she would have to agree she was a goofball,but that didn't mean she couldn't be other things too.

What else was she?

She was happy. She and ren had made it into Beacon just like they had always wanted and were learning to fight Grimm and protect people. They had met new friends that were great people and were now part of an up-and-coming team, Jaune's efforts notwithstanding. Almost everything about their new life at Beacon was wonderful.

She was learning. Nora had never been known for studying much, but that didn't keep her from doing well in her classes. She loved to learn and retained the information given by their professors quite easily. A few notes here and there and some actual attention paid during lectures were the only things required for her to remember the necessary information. Some of the professors had even provided lists of further study material that students could look up at their leisure, which Nora had torn through before the first match of the Vytal Festival had taken place.

She was home. Despite Ren not knowing what a sloth call sounded like, they had still found each other during initiation and would be partners their entire time at Beacon and probably after. She thrived on the closeness she shared with Ren. Since then, she'd learned he was the only constant thing she needed as long as she had Ren, she was grounded and could be sure she'd never be alone.

She was part of a family. Ren was a constant in her life, but having other people stay around was a new experience for Nora. Now she was part of Team JNPR. Pyrrha was a little too nice for her taste; but she was also a champion fighter, which made team practices really fun. Jaune was maybe the nicest boy, except for Ren, she'd ever met, although he was more clueless about some things than she had ever known boys could be. Regardless of flaws, though, Team JNPR had become its own little family; and Nora was so pleased she could almost float.

Yeah, she was a goofball; but that wasn't all she was.

AN: This is probably the first one where I'm straight up making things up. Nora's an awesome character, but we don't know too much about her. She made it into Beacon, though; and I don't think Ozpin lets people in just because they can hit hard. Therefore, I'm saying she's a bit of a genius.


	4. Turning Point

**TURNING POINT**  
 _Member of Team CRDL_

When Cardin Winchester looked back on his life, he was able to pinpoint a turning point in a way a lot of people weren't. It had come on a fieldtrip to Forever Fall Forest during his first year at Beacon. That fieldtrip contained a lot of firsts for him.

It had been the first time he'd encountered a Grimm in the wild It had been the first time he'd ever feared for his life. It had been the first time someone had ever stood up for him - to a giant Ursa no less.

Jaune had surprised him. No one could have blamed him if he had run away; the rest of Cardin's team had. Jaune hadn't just stayed, though; he had stepped between Cardin and a rampaging Ursa. He'd even killed the Ursa singlehandedly.

Cardin had always been a good fighter. He was strong. He was big. He was tough. For all of his life up to that point, those were the only things he'd needed. Then he'd met an Ursa and realized he was only big compared to boys his own age. He was only strong facing fellow Huntsmen-in-training. He was only tough when his opponent was another person.

That day had opened his eyes to the true nature of his behavior. Treating other people like they weren't as good as he was - bullying those weaker than he was - proved nothing about his skill as a fighter. He was strong, but he didn't have to prove that by picking on those who couldn't defend themselves. He was big, but his advantages in height and weight didn't automatically mean he was the better fighter. He was tough, but toughness on the battlefield was not as important as treating people well off the battlefield.

Jaune had taught him a lot about being a good Huntsman and a good person that afternoon. It had been something no number of lectures could have impressed upon him. It had been something he had to see in action to really understand.

Changing his ways hadn't been easy. Old habits die hard wasn't just a saying. He'd had to change the way he thought about and acted toward other people. He'd had to be careful about who he spent time with and cut ties entirely with some people. Facing and apologizing to his former victims had been particularly difficult, but he had swallowed his pride and done it anyway.

It hadn't been until years after graduation that he had been able to thank Jaune for what he had done. It had started off awkward, but he'd wound up inviting Jaune home to have dinner with him and his wife. As crazy as it was to think about, one little encounter with an Ursa and one good man had changed his entire life; and he would always be grateful for it.

AN: We don't really see Cardin or CDNL picking on anyone after Jaune saves him from the Ursa, so I like to think he saw the error of his ways/span/p


	5. Chat

**CHAT**  
 _Member of Team SSSN_

When Blake told him that Weiss had called him a rapscallion, Sun had almost laughed himself sick. Was Weiss somebody's grandmother? Nobody used words like _rapscallion_.

He'd realized his mistake about three seconds after making it.

" _What_ are you laughing at?" Blake had asked. As quiet as the question had been, he was still able to hear the annoyance in her voice; and he sobered immediately.

"Come on, Blake. I don't even think my _grandmother_ used words like _rapscallion_. It makes me sound like a pirate from some goofy old vid." He gave her his most charming smile in an effort to get her to laugh with him. She wasn't having any of it, though.

"She _is_ comparing us to pirates - violent, blood-thirsty, greedy, angry. How can you find this funny?"

Sun sighed. Blake certainly looked better without the bow, but losing it hadn't lightened her up any.

"The way I figure it, Blake, there are things in life that can make you laugh or cry. You have to choose which one you want to do. Even faunus who think the White Fang takes things too far don't really care for the SDC. I'm sure Weiss has had very few positive encounters with faunus during her life."

"I'm a faunus," Blake interrupted in a flat voice.

"Best looking faunus I've met in Vale," Sun agreed with a cheeky smile. When Blake only arched an eyebrow at him, he cleared his throat and continued in a more serious tone. "Now she _knows_ you're a faunus. She's had plenty of time to get to know you, and she knows you're not some crazy human-hating murderer. Maybe you should give her a chance," he suggested. "I mean, you gave me a chance; and now you know the coolest guy in Haven." He struck a goofy pose and flexed his arms while wiggling his eyebrows.

Blake rolled her eyes and took a quick sip of her tea to cover the smile that tugged at her lips, but Sun saw it anyway. He wasn't so great at all this serious feelings stuff, but he couldn't be doing too bad if he was finally getting Blake to smile. Grabbing the teacup off his tail, he stood up and set the cup on the table. He jerked his head, indicating the sidewalk below. As much as he wanted Blake and her friends to make up, he wanted to spend a little more time with her.

"How about a walk while you think about it?"

AN: Just some Black Sun cuteness to fill in some of the gaps in their conversation during "Black and White."


	6. Trumpet

**TRUMPET**

 _Tournament Participant_

There were two things that Flynt considered himself an expert on: the trumpet and Dust. He almost felt like he'd been born with the knowledge, since it had come from both of his parents. Even his earliest memories involved the bright happy music of a trumpet and the unique scents of various types of Dust.

His mother had played trumpet in a symphony before Flynt had been born. By the time he was old enough to remember things properly, his mother had already left the symphony to focus on her own projects. The peppy sounds of the various jazz ensembles his mother was a member of had formed the soundtrack to his childhood and had cemented his love of music early on.

His dad's Dust shop, Dust to Dust, was another integral part of Flynt's childhood. His dad liked to experiment with Dust as much as his mother liked to experiment with music. He'd been able to do amazing things with the careful combinations of Dust his father had come up with.

When it had come time to create his weapon, a trumpet had seemed perfectly natural to him. There was nothing in the world he was more comfortable with a trumpet, and he'd spent his whole life up to that point learning about the power of music. It only seemed fitting for him to make a weapon that would utilize it to its fullest potential. Besides, he was aware Hunters traveled light; and combining his trumpet with his weapon meant he would never have to be without it, the perfect combination of the two things he knew.


	7. Semblance

**SEMBLANCE  
** _Antagonist_

Emerald had been on her own for as long as she could remember. If she'd ever had parents, she couldn't recall them. There had been a few teachers, mentors if you will; but no one even resembling a parent figure.

She had learned after a while that being on her own had its own advantages and disadvantages. Without a partner, she could slip in places two people might be obvious. She could get by with smaller marks too when working alone. However, she had no backup on the rare occasion her marks caught on to what was happening.

In fact, a pickpocket attempt gone wrong was how she had discovered her semblance. The older man she was targeting looked harmless with no obvious weapons. His glasses and habit of learning close to things he was looking at convinced her his eyesight was bad. Altogether, he looked like the perfect clueless shopper she liked to target.

When she'd bumped into him, though, he had grabbed her arm, intending to steady her at first. His eyes had landed squarely on his wallet, which was gripped in Emerald's hand. His eyes had widened when he realized what was happening, and his grip on her arm tightened almost instantly.

Knowing she was caught, Emerald tore her arm from the man's hand and raced off into the crowd. Unfortunately, the shopping center was entirely too crowded for her to get very far ahead; and the man was able to keep pace with her. Realizing that she wouldn't be able to outrun him, Emerald started looking for someplace to hide.

Spotting a convenient hidey hole, she had dived for it without a moment's hesitation. Luck hadn't been with her, though. The man pursuing her had seen her. Fear and instinct made her press herself as tightly against the back of her hiding place as she could. Her eyes snapped closed, and she chanted silently in her head, "I'm not here. I'm not here. You can't see me."

Her panicked breathing stopped entirely when the light coming in the entrance of her hiding spot was blocked. Almost against her will, her eyes slowly opened to stare into the face of her panting mark. Their eyes locked, and Emerald knew she was caught.

Then the man's eyes flitted around her little hiding space, and he cursed loudly. "Where did that little rat get to?" he muttered to himself as he climbed back to his feet.

Emerald sucked in a deep breath when the man was gone. She had no idea what had happened. He'd looked right at her! There was no way he hadn't seen her, but he had acted like she just wasn't there.

It had taken a week of trying to figure out what had happened before she had the idea that this incredible new talent might be her semblance. She started experimenting as much as possible, but almost a month had passed before she was able to keep someone from seeing her without the desperation the first time she'd done it.

Months and years of testing her semblance's limits made her the best of thieves, if she said so herself. She could make people see things that weren't there or keep them from seeing things that were there. She had become so confident in her abilities that she was starting to think about teaming up with someone for bigger and better things. However, before she could put much thought into it, a strange woman with yellow eyes and hair as dark as coal had made her an offer she would have been a fool to turn down.

AN: Darkerpaths kindly pointed out some formatting errors in chapters 2 through 5, which have now been corrected. They're legible now. :)


	8. Textbook

**TEXTBOOK**

 _Creature of Grimm_

[Excerpt from _Fighting the Darkness: A Comprehensive Look at the Creatures of Grimm_ by Professor Glynda Goodwitch]

As we have seen in previous chapters, various types of Grimm require different strategies. We have also seen that strategies for a group attack and a lone attack can change depending on the type of Grimm being engaged. In this chapter, we will discuss one of the more challenging Grimm for Huntsman or Huntress to confront alone: the King Taijitu.

The King Taijitu (see fig. 1) resembles a pair of large scales attached in the middle. One half of the body and one head is black, while the other half of the body and the head connected to it are white. The black head displays the white and red markings that are expected for a creature of Grimm; the markings on the white head are a dark gray instead of white. The markings on both heads are identical; but, as with other creatures of Grimm, the overall markings are unique to each individual.

Although the Taijitu is a single creature, it attacks much like two separate creatures. Because of the length of the body, the heads are able to attach from vastly different angles in a way very similar to two Beowolves working together might. Therefore, the strategies for dealing with both are quite similar with only a few notable differences.

Do not be fooled by the Taijitu's lack of claws: its fangs are not its only means of attack. As with large pythons in the wild, the Taijitu has the ability to constrict a victim, crushing or suffocating it to death. They have been known to use their heads to herd unwary opponents into their coils specifically for this purpose. Always be aware of where the body is, even though it may bot pose an immediate threat.

While there is always an increased chance of infection from a wound caused by a Grimm, wounds inflicted in a fight with a Taijitu are especially dangerous. Another characteristic these creatures share with more mundane snakes is the ability to produce poison. During a fight, with a human, faunus, or another Grimm, the Taijitu's fangs produce so much poison that it drips from them. Unlike smaller poisonous snakes, a Hunter or Huntress needn't worry about being poisoned by a bite, since the Taijitu is so large that a bite generally results in the victim being crushed. However, the poison tends to drip out of the Taijitu's mouth and can be spread on its body, the grounds, or even the Huntsman or Huntress fighting it. This is where a wound may be exposed to the poison, which can be fatal without a timely dose of anti-venom.

In summary, the King Taijitu is a Grimm that requires extreme attention to detail and quick strategic thinking to defeat. They are better hunted in groups; but a single skilled Huntsman or Huntress can bring one down. Because of their serpentine characteristics, their coils and their poison can be as dangerous as their fangs

In the next section, we will cover first aid for wounds that have been affected by Taijitu poison as well as how to create a rudimentary anti-venom in the field.

[End excerpt]

AN: I went through a bunch of ideas trying to figure out how to cover a creature of Grimm before settling on doing an excerpt from a textbook. Glynda doesn't seem like the type to let her students go after Grimm without some serious book-learning under their belts.


	9. Momentum

**MOMENTUM  
** _Professor/Head Master_

Dr. Bartholomew Ooblek was known by his friends, colleagues, and students for being in almost constant motion. It was a part of his personality he had eventually become comfortable with. His fellow professors had come to expect it of students just did their best to keep up.

He'd always been one for action. During his school years, he'd gotten in trouble almost daily for his inability to sit still during lectures. They had doubted he was paying attention until he made perfect scores on every test, quiz, or exam they gave him. Then they had accused him of disturbing the other students. For his classmates' sakes, he had tried to restrain himself; but he had never been very successful.

His hyperactivity extended to his mental abilities as well. He always needed a problem to contemplate or his mind would go off on increasingly wild tangents. It was imperative that he have multiple projects to work on so he always had something to think about even if he hit a dead in on one. That was part of the reason he had become a professor. He had literally run out of things to learn, so he'd had to start doing is own first-hand research.

Knowing his hyperness annoyed and distracted people, he had often tried to slow himself down during his younger years. His last effort had been to take up meditation for all of a week. Sitting quiet and still for five minutes was difficult enough. Trying to still his racing thoughts at the same time made him feel like he was coming apart. Without a physical or mental outlet for his need for movement, he had felt like he was dissolving into something or someone else entirely. After a week, the disturbing feelings had been enough to make him swear off any further attempts to modify his behavior no matter how annoying other people found him.

He had chosen instead to focus on the people who accepted him for who he was instead of dwelling on the ones who would never understand him. His teammates at Beacon had appreciated his mental abilities in the classroom and his speed in a fight. His fellow professors accepted him with all of eccentricities; and he couldn't be happier with the life he lived, whatever the speed.

AN: Ooblek is a fluid that has properties of a liquid and a solid. To paraphrase Google's definition, you can dip your hand into it like a liquid, but if you punch it, it will feel like a solid. So essentially, if it's under pressure or in motion, it remains solid. I wanted to take a moment to examine Dr. Ooblek with that part of his personality in mind.


	10. Destiny

**DESTINY**  
 _Fix something wrong with Volume 3_

Pyrrha Nikos knelt on the ground in front of her opponent, a position she most certainly wasn't familiar with. Searing pain radiated from the arrow shaft lodged in her right ankle; and every other scrape, cut, and bruise she'd acquired over the course of their punishing fight clamored to make itself known. The aching hollowness of her depleted Semblance only served to highlight the dire situation she was in.

No Semblance. No weapons. No Aura. No allies.

The only thing Pyrrha had was her belief that this end, huddled on the ground in front of an unstoppable enemy, was not her destiny. Her destiny was to help people, to protect people. If she could do that by sacrificing herself, she would; but her death here wouldn't save anyone. This fight had been nothing more than her enemy playing with her like a cat plays with a mouse before devouring it.

She shuffled a bit, resting her weight on her hands for a moment to shift her uninjured leg under herself. In doing so, she felt something sharp and sticky under her hand. Her hand unconsciously closed on it before her mind even deciphered what it was. Her antagonist was talking, but Pyrrha only paid enough attention to know where the woman was. Satisfied that her body would hide the object, she risked a glance down. It was part of the shaft of the arrow that had pierced her ankle - the part with the arrowhead still attached. She palmed the point and held her arm so the shaft was hidden as well before the woman completed her circuit.

With confidence she didn't really feel, she snapped her head back to look up at the woman looming over her and said the first thing that came to mind.

"Do you believe in destiny?"

She was hardly interested in the answer to her question, though. The moment the words left her mouth, she surged up on her one good leg and drove the arrowhead into the woman's unprotected trunk. Reaching her arm around the woman's shoulders, she pulled her forward into a fatal embrace at the same time.

They were practically the same height, Pyrrha noted absently as she stared into the woman's yellow eyes. Locked in something like an embrace, they were close enough for Pyrrha to hear the woman whisper, "No." Whether that was an answer to her question or a denial of what had just happened, Pyrrha would never know. Those yellow eyes rolled back in the woman's head, a heavy breath left her body, and she became dead weight in Pyrrha's arms.

AN: This is 100% what I thought was going to happen after Pyrrha asked Cinder if she believed in destiny. You can imagine all the yelling at the screen that went on when Cinder shot her instead.


	11. Hide-and-Seek

**HIDE-AND-SEEK**  
 _Zwei_

Zwei loved all his people. He was aware that Race-Winner and Little-Fire were technically the only ones that were his, but he had magnanimously adopted the other two since his people were sharing their den with them. He didn't mind sharing with them. He couldn't be with Race-Winner and Little-Fire all the time, but his other people seemed to keep a pretty good eye on them when he wasn't around.

He dubbed the one that had immediately taken to him Scratch-Giver because she had quickly become the one he could count on to scratch his ears no matter what. Even his official people weren't that dependable. They just didn't apply themselves with the same devotion. It was a shame really; they'd had more chance to see what a wonderful dog he was. At least their new den-mate saw how great he really was.

As much as he liked Scratch-Giver and wholeheartedly approved of her appreciation, he had been immediately entranced by the other person his humans shared their den with. He had decided to call her Quiet-Scent because she was so quiet and her scent was so interesting. As soon as he'd caught a whiff of her scent, he'd wanted to get closer.

There was something different about her scent, something more than the difference between most people's scents. Her scent was mostly ink and paper, citrus shampoo, and clean linen; but there was also something more. It reminded him of cats, but Quiet-Scent certainly wasn't a cat. That would be ridiculous.

He had wanted to get to know Quiet-Scent as soon as he'd met her; but she was exceptionally hard to sneak up on. Most people were practically deaf. He could make as much noise as he wanted, and they still wouldn't hear him coming. This one was different, though. She could hear almost as well as he did, so he had to be very quiet when trying to find her. When he wasn't careful and she heard him coming, she would hide; and she was good at hiding.

Zwei was always up for a good game of hide-and-seek, but he couldn't even track her by the noise she made. Little-Fire and Race-Winner were really loud; he could usually hear them from rooms away. Even Scratch-Giver, who was quieter, was easy to keep track of; her shoes tended to make more noise than other people's. Quiet-Scent moved like a ghost, though.

The only way Zwei could keep track of her was by her scent, and he tracked her by it as much as he could. She was the best hide-and-seek partner he'd ever had, including that pesky squirrel that had lived in the eaves of the porch back in Patch. For all her sneaking around, though, he had finally caught up to her in their den. He was just about to spring on her bed and settle down for a nap (He'd been tracking her most of the day.) when Little-Fire marched in and flopped face-first onto Quiet-Scent's bed with a dramatic huff.

Yipping with annoyance, Zwei launched himself onto her back and immediately burrowed into her hair to lick at the back of her neck where he knew she was ticklish. Her limbs flailed randomly for a moment before she pushed herself over onto her back, tipping him off. He leapt back on top of her, and a full-scale wrestling match erupted.

Oh, well. He'd catch Quiet-Scent one of these days.

AN: Ever since the first couple of episodes of RWBY Chibi, I've fallen in love with the idea that Zwei took an immediate liking to Blake and has been following her around because he wants to hang out with her.  
In case you're still wondering about the names, Race-Winner is Ruby; Little-Fire is Yang; Scratch-Giver is Weiss; and Quiet-Scent is Blake.


	12. Unexpected Surprises

**UNEXPECTED SURPRISES  
** _Member of Team STRQ_

I've had a lot of things happen to me in my time as Huntsman that I never expected. I had holed up in a little bar in Vauo for a long weekend. Two days in, the White Fang raided the place for some reason or another - the details are a little fuzzy now. They were fuzzy at the time, come to think of it. Either way, never saw it coming.

There was another time when I got into a _tangle_ with the Atlas military. That one I remember perfectly - well, mostly one stuck up captain. That one was fun.

The newest surprise is something else, though. I'm a teacher - at Signal. I'm a high school teacher.

I need a drink.

Ozpin's asked me to do some crazy things in my time, but this has got to be one of the craziest. I'm not a teacher. I don't like kids. Well, Yang and Ruby are all right; but they're different. I can cuss and drink around them. Just a guess, but Signal's probably not crazy about teachers drinking in front of students - cursing either probably.

I don't know what's worse: that Ozpin thinks I'll make it as a teacher or that he things I can be a teacher indefinitely. Yep, no end date on this little mission. Just Ozpin sending Signal's acceptance of my application to teach combat classes (which I did _not_ send) and a note that he _needs_ me there "for the foreseeable future."

I really need a drink.

I guess I need to do some research on this teacher thing. It's not like I paid that much attention while I was in school. Hm, I haven't paid Glynda a visit in a while. Maybe I can snag a copy of her lesson plans. Yeah, that sounds like a plan.

AN: Ruby said that Qrow was a teacher at Signal, which seems completely out of character. Considering Qrow pretty well takes his orders from Ozpin, I'm willing to guess Qrow being at Signal was part of Ozpin's master plan.

And, yes, the stuck up Atlas captain is Winter. I have shipped SnowBird like crazy since their first episode together.


	13. Relaxation

**RELAXATION**

 _Character Wearing What You're Wearing_

The sun was shining down on Beacon Academy on a lovely afternoon. Just enough of a breeze was blowing to make the leaves in the trees whisper together in a soothing rhythm punctuated only by the skittering of squirrels from branch to branch overhead. The breeze brought the scent of green growing things to the only student on the green that afternoon.

Weiss had returned from semester break early. As far as she could tell, she was the first student to return. Surely, everyone else was enjoying time with their friends and families before they returned to school.

For Weiss, time spent with her family was hardly a pleasant experience. On the rare occasion that her father was even at home, he was more concerned with her standing in her classes and how well she was upholding the Schnee name than her as a person - not that she was surprised in any way. When Winter had been called away by General Ironwood on the second day of the semester break, Weiss had known the rest of her vacation would not be enjoyable.

As for friends - all of her friends were at Beacon. In a complete change from her childhood, she had a circle of friends at Beacon that seemed to be always growing. Of course, her teammates were her closest friends. She would never admit it to them, but Ruby and Yang's antics livened up even the most gloomy days; and Blake's quiet presence was a welcome relief from the loneliness that had plagued her childhood. Pyrrha and the rest of Team JNPR were part of it, even Jaune when he wasn't trying to ask her out. Even students from other academies were quickly becoming friends, if not more.

Weiss hummed a tune under her breath. She may have been the only student at Beacon at the moment, but her friends would be back the next day. For now, she was enjoying the rare moment of peace stretched out on the grass under a tree on Beacon's green. Since there was no one else around, she had even changed out of her usual combat skirt.

Today, she wore a crisp pair of jeans and smirked thinking of Yang's reaction to her finally wearing pants. It had been the blonde brawler's goal for the first semester to get Weiss to try something different. In fact, the jeans Weiss was wearing had been purchased on a dare from yang on a team trip into Vale.

To go with the jeans, she had chosen a gray t-shirt with a v-neck. It had a few buttons at the throat, which she had left open in a stunning display of rebellion no one would ever see. In another rush of rebellion, she had also kicked off her tan leather deck shoes to wiggle her bare toes in the grass.

She had been reading a book, some questionable novel that had been on the shelf in the dorm room. It seemed to be about ninjas, which meant it belonged to either Blake or Ruby. There was just enough description of various weapons to make Ruby a likely subject but enough angsty romance to make it appealing to Blake. Oh, well, it was on a common shelf; they could be sharing it for all she knew.

She hadn't gotten more than a chapter or two into the book before the beauty of the day distracted her. Almost an hour after setting the book down, she was still laying under her tree watching the sunlight filter through the leaves. A sort of haze had descended on her, and she could tell she was about to nod off. As much as she knew she should get up and go back to her dorm, there was nothing that needed to be done today and no one around to see her. One little nap couldn't hurt.

AN: I'm a casual dresser and figured Weiss could stand to relax every once in a while. She just doesn't seem the type to be comfortable doing it with other people around, so I've given her the run of Beacon for a day.


	14. The Hardest Question

**THE HARDEST QUESTION**  
 _A Pairing You Like_

When Jaune had finally decided to be a good sport about Weiss's attraction for Neptune, his eyes had been opened to his partner. She was a wonderful person, of course - probably the best person he'd ever known; but she seemed to save a special level of concern and caring for him. At first, he thought it was because he was her partner; but even he wasn't dense enough to remain oblivious for long once he was paying attention.

It had taken him a some time to really come to grips with the idea that Pyrrha Nikos, who could have just about anyone, liked _him_. He was a klutz, and she knew for a fact he had lied to even get into Beacon. She was a world-renowned athlete who could beat entire other teams by herself. And she was kind to everyone. And she stood up for people who were weaker. And she was a great dancer. And she was gorgeous. And she liked _him_.

Once he'd made up his mind, he'd only needed about a week to get up the nerve to ask her on a date. Of course, part of that week had involved trying to figure out when and how to do it. He didn't want an audience, so their room was out of the question. They could be sort of alone in the hallways before or after classes, but that wouldn't provide the right mood. He'd finally settled on asking her after one of their private training sessions on the roof.

They had spent about an hour and a half working on combat techniques and another half hour working on Aura. After working out, they sat down against the wall by the door that lead onto the roof to chat. The habit had started so they could discuss how training had gone, but it had quickly evolved into talking about whatever came to mind. They'd shared stories about their families and lives before coming to Beacon, favorite foods, ambitions, fears - anything and everything that came to mind - while watching the stars.

Pyrrha was talking about his progress and what she wanted to start working on next, but Jaune wasn't paying attention. He'd practically written out a speech while trying to decide what to say. However, every word he'd planned to say flew out of his head as soon as they had slide to the ground beside each other. It seemed like all the moisture in his mouth had done the same thing, for that matter.

"Man up, Arc," me muttered to himself.

"What was that?" Pyrrha asked.

He looked up at her, eyes wide, like he'd forgotten she was even there. He gulped despite the dryness in his mouth when he realized they were practically nose-to-nose. Pulling back a but, he could feel his cheeks flushing and only hoped that it was dark enough she wouldn't notice.

"Um," he mumbled. "I - ah," he stuttered to a halt. Closing his eyes and taking a deep breath, he begged his heart to stop pounding long enough to say what he need to say. It could explode afterwards, he promised.

"So, Pyrrha," he squeaked. He cleared his throat and tried again, finally turning to look at her again. "Pyrrha."

She was obviously perplexed by his antics. She was also obviously finding them amusing if the slight quirk on her lips was anything to go by. Funny was good; girls like funny, Jaune told himself. She nodded, encouraging him to go on.

"I was wondering if you'd like to go out some time."

Yes! He'd made eye contact. His voice had been steady. He was pretty certain he'd said the words in the right language.

Pyrrha's eyes opened like she was surprised.

Uh-oh. Was surprised good or bad? Good surprised was a thing; wasn't it? Jaune could feel himself panicking, but there didn't seem to be anything he could do about it. Who knew waiting for a girl's answer could be more intimidating than a rampaging Ursa?

Suddenly, Pyrrha's surprised expression melted into a huge smile. It was like the sun had come up for Jaune, and he relaxed instantly. He was pretty sure a smile like that meant yes, but Pyrrha was kind enough to say the words for him anyway.

"Yes, Jaune! I would love to go out with you!"

AN: ParadoxicalWindrider, that would be amazing!

Obviously, this is AU. I ship Arkos about as hard as Nora does, and it pained my little heard for Jaune to finally figure everything out right before Pyrrha died. At least, this way, they get some time to be together first.


	15. Dress Shopping

**DRESS SHOPPING  
** _Formal Wear_

The Vytal Festival Dance turned out to be a bonding experience for Team RWBY in other ways than what they had originally anticipated. When they had taken over planning it from Team CFVY, Ruby had lauded it as a perfect team exercise before promptly turning the reins over to Weiss and Yang. Blake and Ruby had no interest in lugging around speakers or choosing from infinitesimally different shades of white.

However, the dance did make a team shopping trip to Vale necessary. Neither Blake nor Ruby had any formal wear for a dance. As Blake pointed out, the White Fang didn't exactly thrown balls; and the dance would be Ruby's first formal event. Yang had suggested making a weekend trip to Patch to collect her dress from a friend's prom the year before, but Ruby reminded her that the evening had gotten a little out of hand and her dress had been scorched when she made it hom. Weiss promptly announced that lightly toasted was not a good look for something as important as the Vytal Festival Dance.

A quick message to Coco had procured the name of a reasonably priced but still stylish boutique in downtown Vale where they could find appropriate dresses for the dance. Weiss and Yang were quite happy to go dress shopping. Ruby was both excited and nervous about going to her first dance, but the promise of a stop at her favorite bakery on the way back to Beacon was enough to get her to agree to the shopping trip. Blake was the most difficult to convince, but a judicious application of Ruby's best puppy-dog eyes eventually won her over.

Thus, they found themselves at Aegis Mode on a Saturday afternoon. High-intensity music drifted quietly from the speakers, and Blake's sensitive nose could tell lotus blossom incense was burning somewhere. The team was greeted at the door by a stylishly dressed saleswoman with a striped cat's tail. Everyone had unconsciously relaxed at the sight, and the saleswoman led them to the formal section when they explained why they'd come.

It seemed Ruby and Blake had similar shopping styles. They both grabbed the first dress of a tolerable color they saw and declared they were done. Weiss and Yang had shared a look before prying the dresses out of their respective partner's hands.

"First of all," Weiss said to both of them, "those are hideous. Secondly, you can't make any informed decision until you've seen all the options." She hung Ruby's dress back up before seizing her partner by the arm and dragging her further into the racks while the younger girl pleaded helplessly with Yang to save her.

Yang shrugged at Blake before putting her dress back on the rack it had come from too. She, at least, had the good grace to look sheepish about it. "What can I say? The Ice Queen's right on this one."

Blake quirked an eyebrow, trying valiantly to intimidate her partner. However, she burst into giggles when Yang winced as Weiss's exaggeratedly outraged "Hey!" drifted over the racks separating them. Still giggling, she succumbed and let Yang drag her off.

Two and a half hours later, the four teammates strolled out of the little boutique with their respective dresses in charcoal-colored garment bags slung over their shoulders and shoe boxes tucked under their arms.

"I'm very proud of you, Ruby," Weiss announced as they walked. "You picked a vary nice dress."

Ruby's caped shoulders lifted in a mildly embarrassed shrug. "I'm not sure I really did the picking. You kind of only gave me three choices."

Yang leaned forward so she could see Weiss around Ruby. "She's got you there," she announced when they made eye contact. Turning back to her right, where Blake walked, she flashed a cheeky grin. "I think _I_ made great choices."

Blake's eye roll was almost audible. "Yes, thank you, Yang," she deadpanned. "I don't know what I would have done if you hadn't picked by dress."

"Aw, come on! It's perfect for you! It's even your favorite color and everything!"

"Um, Yang?" Ruby broke in. "This is my first dance and all, but I did notice that black's a pretty popular color for formal dresses."

"Ru-by," Yang whined. "You're not helping."

"She's right, though," Weiss piped up. Ruby raised her hand for a high five, and promptly dropped her shoe box.

While she grabbed it up, Blake finally relented. "It's the one I would have chosen anyway," she admitted.

"Ha! You see? Do I know my partner or what?" Yang did a little victory dance - as much of a dance as she could while carrying her new dress and shoes.

"Yay, you're wonderful," Ruby said without much enthusiasm. "Now about that stop at Holy Cannoli you promised me."

AN: Aegis refers to Athena's shield in Greek mythology or, more generically, something that protects or supports, all of which seemed highly appropriate for a store where Huntresses like to shop. Considering how chill Coco is with Velvet, I like to think she'd patronize places that were cool with faunus customers and employees.

And now I have a burning desire (Get it? Burning...Moving on.) to write about how Yang's dress got scorched...I find it hard to believe Yang only started getting caught up in strange stuff when she and Ruby got to Beacon.


	16. Inconvenient Irritations

**INCONVENIENT IRRITATIONS  
** _School Uniforms_

Uniforms were new for Cinder's team; that much they had shared with each other in passing conversation. None of them had been to a combat school, and the novelty of having to wear something particular just to go to class was strange. As Mercury grumbled the first day, it didn't make sense.

For Mercury, the uniforms were just another reason to hate Beacon and everything it stood for. For Emerald, dealing with the uniforms was a quiet way of further proving herself to Cinder. For Cinder, the uniforms were a means to an end and maybe a chance to gloat over her soon-to-be victims.

Neo hated the uniforms. They were hideous; and for some reason, theirs had no male and female versions. Neo's nose unconsciously crinkled in revulsion at the thought of having to wear the same thing as Mercury.

Not only were the uniforms ugly, she couldn't carry her parasol while they were pretending to be students. For being a combat school, Neo had noticed that the students were subject to quite a few rules about when and where they were allowed to carry their weapons. Of course, there was also the chance one of those meddling kids from the train would recognize it, especially the mouthy blonde one. She'd gotten quite the eyeful of Neo's precious weapon. Neo still smirked every time she thought about it.

And the silly things were hot! Neo felt like she was going to faint from heat stroke half the time. Her usual attire didn't have sleeves under her light white coat, and she got plenty of ventilation from the short front. Whoever thought that black long-sleeved uniforms were a good idea should be fed to a Nevermore in her opinion.

Despite her silence, the rest of the team was well aware of her displeasure with their uniforms. Although, Cinder didn't have to order her into her uniform the way she did Mercury, Neo changed into her uniform at the last possible moment before they left for classes in the morning and all but ripped the offending outfit off the moment they were back in their dorm room at the end of the day.

There was nothing to be done about the uniforms Neo told herself every day. She was just going to have to deal with it until their mission at Beacon was over. She was more than capable of dealing with the occasional unpleasantness that came with missions; and the reward for this one was more than enough to compensate. She missed Roman.

AN: Neo's probably a complete psychopath, but she's a cute charming psychopath.


	17. Big Brother

**BIG BROTHER  
** _Member of Team CFVY_

Yatsuhashi hadn't known any of the other members of his team when he arrived at Beacon, and it had taken time for them to get to know each other. The weeks after initiation had been filled with new discoveries about each other, as well as a few awkward moments. Some trouble settling in with each other was only to be expected, as Professor Ozpin had assured them.

As they became more comfortable with each other, they started getting a feel for each other's personalities. With that knowledge, came awareness of each other's weaknesses and insecurities. Yatsu was proud to see that they quickly began learning to fill those gaps, both in combat situations and in other aspects of their lives just as he felt a team should.

A teacher at Signal had described Yatsu as reserved once, and he mostly agreed with the assessment. He was quiet by nature, tending to think important things over a great deal without sharing. Holding his problems in was something his parents had called him on, pointing out that no one could help him with troubles that he refused to voice.

However, he had found himself opening up quite a bit with his new teammates. He was an only child, and his reserved nature had made it difficult for him to bond with people. Being forced to share not only classes and projects but also a dorm room with his teammates forced them to get to know each other well; and he found himself loosening up to a degree he hadn't realized he could.

As he himself was learning, part of his reserved nature was simply the lack of the right people to let loose with. As he got to know his teammates better and better, the more comfortable he became with talking, joking, laughing, and crying with them. It was an experience he had never had before and one he would be forever thankful for.

Unsurprisingly, the quietly protective part of his nature had never changed. His teammates had quickly become as close as family, and he knew he would do everything in his power to protect them, even if he had trouble articulating the fact. Luckily, his actions on and off the training field seemed to let them know fairly clearly.

Thus, he had quickly fallen into the role of big brother to his team, even though they were all the same age. With him, Coco could discuss insecurities and pressures she'd never expected when she was originally appointed to lead their team. Fox could vent the aggravation he experienced when people automatically assumed he was helpless just because he was blind despite the fact he was at Beacon, which should have proven he was more than competent. Velvet simply liked to be near him; she had shyly explained that his peaceful steady presence made her feel safe and loved.

By the time he was in his mid-teens, Yatsu had come to grips with the idea that he was probably never going to be a big brother. He couldn't have been more pleased to be proved wrong when he arrived at Beacon at seventeen. His teammates were as much family as his parents, and he was eternally grateful for them.


	18. Timid

**TIMID**  
 _Faunus Character_

What it was like to be a faunus was sometimes hard for humans to understand. The obvious physical characteristics were just the beginning. It was widely known that different types of faunus had different heightened senses or advantages. What some humans overlooked were the psychological traits faunus shared with their animal counterparts. The concept made sense, but even humans who weren't bothered by faunus tended to assume the differences were only skin deep.

Velvet had felt it her duty to explain her psychological differences to her team leader. She quietly promised herself that she could make the decision to tell the rest of her teammates after she saw how Coco took the announcement, although she knew it was only fair to fill all her teammates in.

Being a rabbit faunus meant Velvet had even better hearing than most other faunus. That was mostly a plus. She could hear Grimm moving around a long time before anyone else. Of course, she could also hear conversations happening three tables away in the cafeteria. Humans just didn't realize how loud they were sometimes.

Rabbit faunus, in Velvet's opinion, got the short end of the stick when it came to personality traits. Dog faunus were loyal. Bull faunus were stubborn. Rabbit faunus were timid.

Velvet had fought her instincts all her life. Her human mind was aware they were just instincts and not usually grounded on anything. She really was a friendly person, but her instincts made her uncomfortable with new or unfamiliar people. Thus, she tended to be quiet and reserved around new people.

Technically, rabbits were prey animals; and their lives could depend on their caution in strange new circumstances. That caution and timidity meant most rabbit faunus tended to be involved in calm professions. Velvet had bucked tradition, though, and committed herself at a young age to be a Huntress. She was convinced that the same instincts that made her aware of predators so she could flee could also be used to hunt those same Grimm and make Remnant a safer place.

Much to her parents' dismay, she had followed through on her childhood dreams and enrolled in Beacon to finish her training as a Huntress. She was learning to master her instincts and to utilize her faunus traits to her best advantage. And with her team's help, she felt she was satisfactorily coming out of her shell.

Timidity might be an unalterable part of her personality, but she was certainly learning to work around it.

AN: This one was really hard to write for some reason. Velvet's a great character; but, for me at least, she's really hard to write about.


	19. Ninja

**NINJA**  
 _Lei Ren_

Many people referred to Ren as a ninja. It was a logical description for people to come up with considering his quiet nature and stealthy fighting style. However, he would never consider himself a ninja for a list of reasons.

First of all, ninjas wore all black; and Ren almost never wore black. He thought it made him look like a vampire, and it was hot. He much preferred green both as a color and clothing choice

Secondly, ninjas were supposed to be silent. While Ren could live up to that requirement, he spent a lot of time with Nora, who was anything but quiet. Silence was well and good, but it wasn't worth being without Nora.

Third, ninjas were often though of as solitary. Ren could handle being by himself and occasionally enjoyed a little alone time. He was, however, not a solitary creature. He and Nora more or less came as a set, and he very much enjoyed the company of his other teammates and friends.

Finally, he was very very sure ninjas didn't make pancakes; and he prided himself on his. They were just the right thickness and fluffiness; it was a delicate balance. _And_ they were made with whole wheat flower, organic eggs, and almond milk - healthy ingredients that Nora didn't need to know about...

So he was a kitchen ninja. He could live with that.


	20. Avengers: Fourth of July

**AVENGERS: FOURTH OF JULY**

 _Crossover of your Choice_

AN: Let's say this is set after Age of Ultron but before Civic War, so spoilers for those movies. Oh, and I'm going to say Quicksilver didn't die.

When asked what her favorite holiday was, Pyrrha always said Independence Day. It was the expected answer from Captain America, but it was also the truth. Growing up during the Depression, she and her family had always honored the holiday by attending the local parade. The one year her father had scraped together enough money to buy the children a piece of candy after the parade stood out as one of the best memories of her childhood.

Once the war had started, the holiday took on greater meaning for her. The patriotic fervor that drove so many young men to enlist had driven her to disguise herself as a boy and enlist too. She'd made for a scrawny boy, and her instructors hadn't thought she'd be more than another casualty for someone's unit. Meeting Dr. Ozpin had been her saving grace, though. He'd seen the love of justice burning in her eyes and recruited her to the super soldier program despite her instructor's misgivings.

After her seventy year nap in the ice, July Fourth hand come to mean even more. She saw the many men and women who had followed her in serving their country, the sacrifices they had made. Some came home in coffins, having give, and Mr. Lincoln so eloquently put it, "the last full measure of devotion." Other came home without limbs or mentally traumatized by their experiences. In Pyrrha's opinion, they had given no less thei their all too. She was proud to be counted among their number, but she was more pleased to be able to help them in whatever way possible.

This particular Fourth of July was turning out to be a normal peaceful weekend, something the team hadn't had in awhile. Yang had invited the team to one of her ridiculously expensive vacation homes for "bonding weekend;" she had specifically used air quotes. Pyrrha smiled widely at how adorable she'd found her teammate's attempt to remain prickly while doing something really nice for everyone else.

A particularly loud squawk from the pool brought her attention back to her friends. It seemed Nora and Ruby were trying to recruit Jaune and Weiss for a chicken fight. Of course, Nora's version of persuasion was to lift Jaune up on her shoulders without warning, which had caused Jaune to "Hulk out" for a moment.

Where Jaune was only as heavy as an ordinary person and easy for Nora to lift, the Hulk was easily several hundred pounds heavier. Even then, Nora might have been able to hold the Hulk up if he hadn't been flailing arms and legs in an attempt to get away. As it was, several hundred pounds of squirming Hulk tipped Nora face first into the pool.

The splashing water shocked the Hulk enough for Jaune's rational mind to force the Hulk back into the room where he usually lived. Once he was back to himself, he leapt off of Nora and reached down to pull her back to her feet.

"I'm so sorry, Nora. I didn't realize what you were doing." His apology would have gone on if Nora hadn't erupted in a booming laugh.

"Well played, my friend," she exclaimed and thumped Jaune's shoulder. He stumbled forward a few steps before reaching to rub his now bruised shoulder.

"Easy there, viking," Yang called from where she was sunning herself on a red padded deck chair beside the pool. She pulled down her aviators so she could peer over the top at the action in the pool. "Don't break the doc. I need him in the lab Monday."

Pyrrha rolled her eyes at their antics. They managed to save the world on a semi-regular basis, but they acted like teenagers on their day off. She rose from the plush deck chair she had been laying on, stepped to the edge of the pool, and dove smoothly into the water. Swimming underwater, she bumped her shoulder into Nora's leg before surfacing beside her.

"I'm not sure Jaune would appreciated the excitement of a chicken fight with a Norse god," she said. She flashed a smile at Jaune, enjoying the way be blushed. "I'll bet Ruby and I could take you and Weiss, though."

"Yes!" Ruby hissed behind her.

"What if I don't want -" Weiss's protests were cut off with a squeal when Nora promptly lifted her into position.

"Oh, come on, Weiss. It'll be fun. We'll crush them," Nora encouraged. There was a certain maniacal glee in her voice that worried her opponents just a bit.

"Put me down, you oaf," Weiss commanded imperiously. Red energy was starting to swirl around her hands as she prepared to force Nora to release her.

"Come on, Weiss," Ruby cut in. "Don't make me do the puppy dog eyes. You know you can't say no to the puppy dog eyes." Before her sister even had a chance to answer, Ruby had zipped across the distance between them and was gazing up from under her lashes in the most pathetic way she could.

The red energy around Weiss's hands dissipated and her shoulders slumped. "All right. Fine," she grumbled.

"Yes!" Ruby pumped a fist before turning around and leaping at Pyrrha. With superhuman speed, she scaled Pyrrha like a climbing wall and settled herself on her shoulders. "Let's get'em, Pyrrha!"

As it turned out, Nora and Weiss won, but only because Weiss used her power to tip Ruby and Pyrrha over The move promptly launched an argument between Ruby and Weiss about use of powers. Ruby demanded a rematch without powers, but Weiss pointed out that neither Nora nor Pyrrha were even able to _not_ use their powers so her abilities were fair game. Pyrrha and Nora left the siblings bickering and swam a few laps as a race instead of staying to listen.

After losing to Nora by only a hair, Pyrrha hopped back out of the pool the reclaime her deck chair between Yang and Blake. Apparently, Blake had been catnapping despite all the by her unusually graceless start as she woke, even she hadn't planned on dozing off. While most people wouldn't think anything of it, the sheer amount of trust required for the ex-assassin to doze off impressed on Pyrrha how well their team had bonded over the years.

Blake adjusted her deck chair so she was sitting up watching the continuing shenanigans in the pool. She offered a smile and a slight wave when she noticed Pyrrha watching her.

"Nap time's over?" she questioned blandly.

A light blush colored Blake's cheeks as she rolled her eyes. It was unheard of for her to be caught unawares. "I was resting my eyes," she said primly.

Pyrrha nodded sagely and let the matter drop. A little light teasing was one thing, but she was well aware pushing Blake too hard was the best way to ruin her good mood.

Unexpectedly, a body flew over the line of deck chairs and plummeted into the pool right beside where Nora was treading water while daring Ruby to a race - Ren. He was usually quiet, but he certainly had a sense of humor. It was a good thing too since he spent a good bit of time with Nora.

Still not speaking, Ren surfaced just long enough to splash a huge wall of water at Nora and Ruby before sinking back below the surface. The splash fight that ensued lasted until a melodious chime rang and a soft female voice with an Australian accent announced that supper was ready.

"Thanks, Velvet," Yang called to the AI that ran her various homes and the Ironman suit.

"Come on, you juveniles," she called, rolling lazily to her feet to look over the edge of her aviators at the waterlogged trio in the pool. "Soup's on."

Even though Yang had been the first to her feet, Ruby was waiting at the huge kitchen table when everyone had filed inside. She rolled her eyes in an exaggerated fashion. "It's about time, you guys. I'm starving."

Weiss muttered something that might have been _dolt_ before grabbing her sister's ear and dragging her off to change into dry clothes. Everyone else followed suite; and, though no one else had Ruby's speed, it wasn't long before they were all gathered back around the kitchen table.

Feeding a Norse god, a super soldier, and a speedster made for a larger spread than would have otherwise been expected. Despite good manners, Pyrrha dug into her plate with gusto, as did Nora and Ruby. The rest of the team dug into more reasonable plates with just as good an appetite. Everyone had spent at least part of the afternoon goofing off in the pool, and they'd all worked up good appetites.

Once they'd polished off the meal Yang had so kindly had catered, they wandered into the living room. Ruby and Ren both made a beeline to the game system attached to the large TV. Before long, everyone had settled onto sofas and easy chairs to watch the ensuing digital carnage.

Despite Ruby's super speed, Ren won the first round and was promptly challenged by Yang. The tech genius did her best, but Ren's hair-trigger reflexes won him another round. Silently, Blake relieved Yang of her controller and proceeded to trounce Ren and Weiss, who had challenged her next. Weiss's defeat was followed by Jaune's and Nora's. Pyrrha smiled a challenge as she took the controller from Nora; but, despite her best effort, Blake came out the champion of their impromptu tournament.

By the time they were done goofing around with the video games, the sun was sinking below the horizon. Blake and Ren slipped into the kitchen to freshen everyone's drinks before everyone headed outside. They settled on the deck chairs in companionable silence to watch the sun finish setting.

There was silence even after the sun was gone and outdoor lights provided gentle illumination. Silence was not something the team came by easily. With Nora, Ruby, and Yang, the team itself provided a great deal of sound. Missions had a tendency to erupt in gunfire and explosions, further drowning out any peaceful silence. But for this little bit of time, they could enjoy the peace and quiet.

Finally, Yang broke the silence. "Well, that was lovely," she said briskly. She stretched grandly after climbing to her feet. "Now let's get the real light show started." She flicked a hand toward the house as if gesturing to get someone's attention. "Velvet! When you're ready!"

"Right away, miss," the electronic voice answered.

Before anyone could question Yang about what crazy thing she had planned, speakers disguised as rocks scattered around the pool began blasting a symphonic medley of patriotic songs. Just as the music reached its first crescendo, Yang gestured grandly toward the sky with a huge grin on her face. On cue, the sky above the house ignited with a riot of colorful fireworks.

"Ta-da," Yang said quietly before hopping back onto her chair to watch the show with the rest of the team.

"That was a wonderful way to end the day," Blake admitted when the fireworks had ended. The rest of the team enthusiastically agreed, much to Yang's evident pleasure.

She preened beneath the approval for just a moment before answering. "Well, I do like to do things with a _yang_."

AN (Part 2): That opening got a little deeper than I'd planned on, and this whole thing was a lot longer than anticipated.

You may blame this crossover on Rooster Teeth's basing Nora on Thor; everything snowballed from there. I tried to match the RWBY characters up to the Avengers as much as possible. There's a list of who's who below just in case.

Pyrrha - Captain America  
Yang - Ironman  
Ren _ Hawkeye  
Nora - Thor  
Ruby - Quick Silver  
Weiss - Scarlet Witch  
Blake - Black Widow  
Jaune - Hulk


	21. Partners' Day

**PARTNERS' DAY  
** _Outfit Swap_

"Dude, I know my abs are great. I just don't feel the need to show them off all the time like some people."

"Come on, man. It's Spirit Week, and today's Partners' Day."

"We don't even go to Beacon. We don't _have_ to participate in their crazy Spirit Week, you know."

"So? It's been fun right?"

"I guess. I mean, comic book day was cool."

"Hey! Just because Jaune and Ren dressed as X-Ray and Vav too doesn't mean we weren't the best."

"Well, after Jaune got his cape caught in the elevator door and ripped it off, they weren't too hard to beat."

"So we should try to keep our streak going by winning Partners' Day too."

"If I can't button my shirt, you have to dye your hair blue."

"But-"

"Blue."

"What about my tail?"

"Yeah, what about the tail?"

"Oh man! How are we going to make you a tail?"

"Well, there's one way.

"Hey! Put down the scissors."

"You should have seen your face, man. That was hilarious!"

"You're not funny, Neptune."

"Of course, I'm funny. You just don't appreciate my genius."

"Maybe we should dress as another set of partners."

"Yes! We should dress as Ruby and Weiss. I'm pretty sure I can talk Yang into getting us some of their clothes."

"Dude! Yes!"

AN: I've noticed I don't write much dialog, so this one was a bit of a challenge for myself. Hopefully, it was obvious that Sun and Neptune were arguing about dressing up for Partners' Day for Beacon's Spirit Week...provided they have one.


	22. Laundry

**LAUNDRY  
** _Palette Swap_

"Ruby Rose!"

Ruby flinched when the dorm room slammed open to reveal an enraged Weiss. Her partner only said her name in that clipped way when she was angry about something Ruby had done. Ruby was quite sure she hadn't done anything lately, but she immediately started racking her brain when she saw the look on Weiss's face.

"Yes?" she answered hesitantly.

"Explain this," Weiss commanded. Her arm shot out to the side. She seemed to be holding a faded red pile of fabric. For a moment, Ruby was worried her partner had done something to her cape; but her favorite accessory was firmly attached to her shoulders and her spare was in the wash.

"Um. What is that?" she ventured, although she already knew she was going to regret asking.

"You want to know what this is?"

Ruby dropped her book and twisted her fingers together. "Not really, but it seems pretty important."

Weiss seemed to vibrate in place for a moment with the effort of containing her ire, and Ruby knew she was in big trouble for something. "This-" she shook the red fabric at Ruby- "is my dress!"

Ruby's eyes widened, and her face paled. She slapped her hand over her mouth.

"No! No, no, no! Oh, Weiss, I messed up."

"That's an understatement," Weiss observed dryly. "Why is my dress red?"

Ruby had risen from the bed and approached her partner tentatively, hands out in a calming gesture that wasn't really working. "I was trying to help," she said. "I did your laundry for you." She poked at the ruined dress as if it would attack like some strange sort of Grimm and frowned mightily. "There was some room left so I tossed my spare cape in too." Satisfied the newly red dress wasn't going to spontaneously attack, she peered up at her partner. "Bad idea?"

Weiss huffed but gave the dress to Ruby when she reached to take it. Ruby grabbed it by the shoulders to shake it out and then held it up to her own shoulders. Looking down, she shrugged and made a pleased noise.

"It's not that bad," she said. "If you like red."

Weiss rolled her eyes at her partner and leader's opinion. "I don't wear red."

"But red's nice," Ruby protested.

Weiss pointed at Ruby. "You owe me a new combat skirt."

* * *

"Weiss!" Ruby entered the team's dorm dragging something white behind her. "What happened to my cape?"

Not looking up from the homework she was busy with, Weiss answered in a distracted voice. "I felt bad for yelling at you about my dress the other day, so I did your laundry to make up for it."

"Weiss." Ruby's voice sounded tightly controlled, which was unusual enough to get Weiss's attention despite her pressing homework. She looked to the doorway to see Ruby holding up what appeared to be a bed sheet.

"What's that?"

"My cape," Ruby all but whimpered.

"No," Weiss whispered in shock.

"Yes," Ruby insisted.

Weiss dropped her pen on her desk and stood. "I'm so sorry, Ruby. I was trying to help. I saw it in the hamper and added it to my load of clothes...which I always add bleach to." She winced as the realization hit.

She stepped back and clasped her hands in front of herself. "I will find a replacement," she promised.

The humor of the situation wasn't lost on Ruby, and she found herself cracking a grin as she glanced from her bleached cape to a contrite Weiss.

"Eh. I owe you a combat skirt, and you owe me a cape. How about we call it even?" She thrust out a hand to seal the deal with a handshake.

Weiss shook the offered hand firmly. "Done."

* * *

"Blake, you're seeing this too; right?" Yang asked.

It was Saturday afternoon, and she and Blake had gone to the practice facilities to get a little extra training in. It seemed that the world had turned upside down while they were at the gym, though.

Blake put the cap back on her water bottle and looked where Yang was pointing. She almost spit her sip of water back out.

"Gah! Why is Weiss wearing a red dress?" she blurted.

"And why is Ruby wearing a white cape?" Yang finished.

The partners looked at each other.

"Best not to ask?" Blake said.

"Yep. Never saw it," Yang agreed.

AN: For some reason, the last couple of chapters have come off like chibi episodes. For some reason, I'm ok with that.


	23. Confidence Man

**CONFIDENCE MAN**  
 _Favorite Villain_

Roman Torchwick had made his reputation in the criminal underworld as a consummate confidence man. The ability to think three steps ahead of his opponents made even the riskiest of cons simply a test of wits he had the utmost confidence he could win. Perhaps it was his sparkling record of success or his healthy ego that made him think there was no way someone could outthink him, but he didn't even bat a fantastically curled eyelash when a mysterious woman with dark hair and a sinfully short crimson dress offered him a part in her master plan.

When his new boss - Cinder was the name she'd given - told him he would be leading a team to collect Dust, by means legal or illegal, he'd been a bit surprised. His success relied on his wit, charisma, and flair for the dramatic; knocking over Dust shops hardly seemed a worthy used of his talents, not that he expressed that opinion out loud. The moment he found out that his new henchmen were members of the White Fang, apparently loaned out by the head of the White Fang himself, he knew whatever was going on was much bigger than he'd originally assumed.

That was when he'd started looking for a way out. He may have had the utmost faith in his own wit to get him out of tight situations, but even he could tell when he was in over his head. He knew instinctually that whatever Cinder's grand plan was, he was only a small part, too small a part of guarantee his profit or, more importantly, his safety. It was time to get out as soon as he could.

Cinder must have known that he might decide to part ways with her because she had made sure that getting out was a more difficult prospect than he'd ever expected. He knew he couldn't trust the White Fang members he'd been gifted with; their allegiance was to their organization, even if they happened to follow Torchwick's orders at the moment. Cinder's lieutenants, Emerald and Mercury, were prone to showing up without warning; and they were both loose cannons, demanding Torchwick's full attention to manage whenever they were around.

The only person he knew he could trust was his silent partner, Neo. She was a heck of a fighter, and he was no slouch himself; but there was no way the pair of them could bust their way out of the net Cinder had so carefully constructed for them. The White Fang had arms longer than the law's; and thanks to his activities with them under Cinder's orders, he was well enough known that fleeing Vale wouldn't mean safety. And never mind the Atlesian military, the police forces of four kingdoms, or those kids from Beacon - everything he'd done for Cinder had tightened the noose he hadn't even known existed.

A small part of him was incredibly impressed by Cinder's resourcefulness. She'd managed to play such a long game that even he hadn't seen it. The only choice he had left was to follow Cinder's plan to its end while trying to keep himself and Neo out of as much trouble as possible.

Thus he'd hatched his new plan: to make himself as valuable to Cinder and her mysterious plan as possible. For the most part, he simply did what he was assigned to do with as much expediency and flair as he could manage. Occasionally, he would perform some operation that he hadn't been expressly ordered to, although he was very careful to make sure his initiative didn't backfire on him. Going from a useful part of the plot to a loose end that needed to be taken care of was not part of his plan.

As much as being a distraction chafed his ego, he was content to be safely away from Cinder for a while. He could make his grand plan in peace, aided by the information that Neo brought him about what both the good guys and Cinder's cronies were doing - that semblance of hers was a gift he'd always be thankful for. So he'd plan and plot with whatever information he could get while Cinder's machinations ground on in the outside world. With enough time, he had complete faith that his sharp wits could get him and Neo safely out of Cinder's clutches.

AN: Roman said that he's got something to loose, but the only thing I can see him being willing to do someone else's bidding for is himself - and maybe Neo.


	24. A Sure Thing

**A SURE THING  
** _Favorite Episode (3.01)_

The Vytal Festival is finally here!

The Vytal Festival has been the one constant piece of gossip around Beacon since Professor Ozpin announced that Beacon would be hosting it this year. The unusually large number of soldiers and ships General Ironwood brought with him entertained Blake - who pretends to pay no attention to gossip even though we all know she's as interested in The Saga of Ren and Nora as the rest of us - for at least a month. The fashions and cultures of the students from other academies were more popular topics with most everyone else. Of course, there was also speculation - any by speculation I mean betting - on how any given team would do in the tournament; I put forty lein on Team RWBY to win our first match.

And we've been training for the Vytal Festival Tournament at least as long as we've been gossiping about it. There are so many teams trying to use the training facilities that Professor Goodwitch had to start making teams sign up for training time. So far, we've been able to get a slot on Saturday afternoons without much trouble, although Ruby does complain about not having as much free time to tinker with Crescent Rose as she would like.

Oddly enough, Weiss has been my best ally in dragging our lazy partners to the training facilities for extra workouts. Ok, they're not really lazy. Ruby's just easily distracted with other things, and Blake thinks we get enough training time during regularly scheduled workouts and classes. With Weiss to help Ruby manage her time better and me to get Blake away from her books, we've been getting a fair bit of extra training time in.

Team RWBY is going to win this thing! I know we're just first year students, but come on! We almost singlehandedly stopped crime in Vale by putting that Torchwick guy away. We've tangled with the White Fang and walked away unhurt. We helped repel a Grimm invasion of downtown Vale while keeping civilians safe and cutting down Grimm left and right. Heck, we brought down an Atlesian Paladin all by ourselves. What other team, from any of the four kingdoms, can say that? Team RWBY's victory is a sure thing!


	25. Vytal Festival First

**VYTAL FESTIVAL FIRST**  
 _Favorite Fight_

We've been training for the Vytal Festival Tournament practically since the semester started. Of course, we want to win; but it's also a chance to prove that we're not a joke. I feel a certain amount of responsibility for making sure the other people don't think the rest of the team is a joke because Ozpin decided to make me the leader. Also, the bragging rights would be epic.

As debut fights go...I guess ours wasn't terrible. I mean, we won. Well...technically, Nora won. It was a team match, though; so it counts for everyone.

According to Ruby, we had Team BRNZ on the ropes the entire time; but I think she might have just been trying to make me feel better. I was talking to her about the fight back at the dorms, as much as I trust Pyrrha, as my partner and my friend, I'm supposed to be Team JNPR's leader; and I feel like there are some things that I can't talk to her about. Ruby gets the pressure that comes with being a team leader, even if she doesn't have the same issues I do.

Anyway, her "expert analysis" (her words) pointed to us winning. It does make a certain amount of sense. Between the guy with the super taser and the lightning at the top of the mountain, Nora could have drop kicked the other team all the way back to Vacuo one at a time. Pyrrha was keeping at least two of the other team busy while Nora was climbing the mountain and Ren was trying to get the sniper. I'm not the best fighter on the team - ok, I'm the worst fighter on the team - but I wasn't doing too bad with my guy either. We probably could have taken them.

But why, why, _WHY_ didn't we practice team attacks more? We had Team BRNZ on the run, and me and my big mouth had to try for fancy team attacks. I mean, _technically_ we went over team attacks...once. There's been a lot to do to get ready for the tournament, ok?

So yeah, that part was a little embarrassing. We were apparently the very first team in the entire history of the Vytal Festifal Tournament to have a team meeting in the middle of a match. That little tidbit bade the day's recap show. There were some good highlights that made the recap show too, though. Nora with Magnild getting struck by lightning was pretty impressive. They used a shot of me and Pyrrha protecting Nora from Team BRNZ's sniper. There was a shot of Ren using the guy who electrocuted Nora as a shield against their sniper, which was super awesome according to Nora.

At least the team round's out of the way, and we beat Team BRNZ even if our team attacks didn't go quite like I'd planned. We've definitely decided to send Pyrrha on to the next round. She's a champion and the best fighter on our team; it would be crazy not to pick her. Nora's going to be her partner in the doubles round. She's the strongest person on the team, which everyone in Remnant knows after watching her knock Team BRNZ completely out of the arena. Besides that, she's practically indestructible. Between her and Pyrrha, I think Team JNPR has a pretty good chance at winning the tournament.

AN: I don't think Team JNPR's doubles picks were ever mentioned. Pyrrha had to be one if she made it to the singles rounds, and it's pretty logical to guess they didn't pick Jaune. I picked Nora because she pretty well won the team match all by herself.


	26. Gewurznelke

**GEWURZNELKE**  
 _Favorite Weapon_

Efficiency. Precision. Elegance. For Winter Schnee they were never mere words; they were her entire philosophy on life. Everything she had any control over in her life was governed by those three tenets. Though she would never admit the fact to anyone, she considered her weapon the ultimate physical manifestation of her philosophy.

Winter had immensely enjoyed old pirate vids when she was a girl. Knowing her father would never have approved, she had been careful to hide them from him; but the need for secrecy had never dulled her excitement for the adventures portrayed. The fast-paced sword fights had inspired her to pour her heart into the fencing lessons her father required of all his children.

Her earnest interest in bladed weapons had led her fencing master to suggest several titles on the history of swords and sword fighting. From those tomes and others she discovered on her own, she realized that a cutlass, however dashing some old pirate vid might make it look, was a poor choice of blade for her personally. The relatively short, heavy blade relied on the brute strength of its wielder to deal devastating damage at close range. Winter knew her advantage lay in her speed and agility not her strength. The heavy blade would wear her down in a fight of any length. So, as disappointed as she was, she discarded the idea of a cutlass as her personal weapon.

When she had decided a cutlass was out of the question, Winter had quickly turned to the rapier, which she had been studying since childhood. In formal fencing situations, the rapier was as close to a perfectly designed weapon as Winter had ever encountered; but in practical hunting applications, a long straight blade could easily become lodged in a Grimm's various hard bone plates. Being disarmed by a skilled human opponent made Winter's blood burn; she most certainly wouldn't stand for losing a weapon to a Grimm.

Thus, Winter had decided to take the best parts of each weapon and combine them into one of her own design. Forged from the finest Atlesian steel, infused with only the purest Dust from the SDC, designed to take advantage of the best features of both cutlass and rapier - her weapon was hers and hers alone, the product of her brain and countless hours mastering the techniques required to produce it.

Gewurznelke was a work of precision and elegance. Though manual labor was generally beneath the dignity of a Schnee, her weapon was the one thing she was most proud of having made with her own two hands. Nothing had prepared her for the rush of elation that had flooded her when she completed Gewurznelke.

With her sword completed, she refused to let anything else stand in her way, including her father. She'd squeezed Gewurznelke's hilt so hard that her knuckles had turned white when she informed her father of her decision to join the Atlesian military. No matter how he raged, the firm hilt of her sword had served as an anchor and a reminder of her determination. She would create her own path in life just as she had created her own weapon.

AN: All the weapons from RWBY are amazing, but I got really excited about Winter's sword for some reason. It doesn't transform or anything (that we know of), but it's got a classic elegance that I just love.

Winter's sword's name is the German word for the clove plant, or that's what Google Translate told me. (Consider this my official apology if I've butchered the German language.) According to the RWBY wiki, the name of Weiss's sword is based on the German word for myrtle and the design is based on Winter's sword. Clove and myrtle are both members of the Myrtaceae family, so the name seemed fitting.


	27. Xiao Long

**XIAO LONG**  
 _Favorite Trailer_

Yang had a bit of a reputation as a party girl. It wasn't entirely undeserved. Her love of loud music and the euphoria of a crowded dance floor weren't entirely secrets. She always took care to point out that her partying didn't include drinking herself stupid, though. She considered such a thing irresponsible, both as a Huntress-in-training and as a good big sister.

It wasn't that she was opposed to a casual drink or two. As it turned out, she wasn't capable of getting drunk, much to her surprise. In face, how she'd figured that little nugget out made for a pretty good story.

You see, it happened like this:

Yang's natural confidence and daredevil tendencies led her and her friend Aureus to Junior's nightclub when they were just fifteen. They'd overhead Aureus' older brother talking about the party one afternoon and followed him to the club in downtown Vale later that night. In retrospect, showing up at a club without telling anyone where they were going was a stupid decision; but she was nothing if not impulsive at the time. She still had trouble turning down a dare, come to think of it.

Anyway, that party was where she'd learned that her semblance allowed her to literally burn off alcohol. That party was also when she'd been permanently banned from Junior's, although she would never let that fact keep her from showing up every now and again. But that was a different story.

Her friend's older brother tried to send her and Aureus home the moment he saw them there. Aureus threatened to tell their mother exactly what her darling eldest son was up to his brother made them leave, though. There was nothing like mutually assured destruction to make older siblings concede a point. With a warning not to get into trouble, Aureus' brother made a beeline toward an attractive brunette that had just arrived, leaving Aureus and Yang to fend for themselves.

Half an hour later, Yang found herself drinking an entire table of Beacon students under the table. They had started it, asking what a couple of kids were doing at a club. Someone in the crowd had been bold enough to ask if it was past their bedtimes. Yang responded by betting them a hundred lien that none of them could outdrink her.

Aureus was beside himself as soon as he heard Yang's reply. Sneaking into a club and attending a Beacon party was quite the adventure, and he'd fully planned to brag about it to their friends at Signal. Yang getting herself roaring drunk and the pair of them beaten up when her adversaries found out neither of them _had_ a hundred lien to cover Yang's stupid bet was _not_ on his agenda.

In her defense, Yang knew the bet was stupid the moment she heard herself make it; but she wasn't about to back down no matter the consequences. Instead, she pulled out a chair at the nearest table and plopped down, waiting to see if any of the Beacon students would take her up on her offer. She hoped the confident grin plastered on her face would be enough to make them think twice; but three guys and a girl sat down with her while the rest of their group gathered around the table to watch.

One of the other students must have placed an order because Yang's opponents had barely had time to list their names before a bartender in a black vest and red tie was at their table. He unloaded five shot glasses and a bottle of Grey Grimm from his tray without a word, although he did shoot Yang a suspicious look. She responded by winking at him. He shook his head, at her boldness or stupidity or possibly both, and left.

A guy with a fluffy red fox tail stepped up to pour the drinks. He was scrupulously careful to make sure everyone got the same amount in their class. When he was finished pouring the shots, he slid one glass to each person at the table. A quick "Bottoms up" from one of the guys sitting down acted as the signal, and they all tipped back their shots.

If Yang didn't have a table full of older students to impress, she might have spit the vodka back into the glass. It tasted the way whatever was in Uncle Qrow's flask smelled, only it was stronger and burned all the way from her throat to her stomach. Holding in a groan, she only allowed herself to blow a sharp breath out of her mouth in response to the foreign taste and feeling.

To her surprise and that of everyone else gathered around, a short jet of flame accompanied the breath. The Beacon students jumped at the sight, and one of the guys at the table muttered a few choice words. Yang masked her confusion with a smirk and motioned for the fox faunus to pour another round. Xiao Long indeed!

After the second shot, she tipped her head backwards and puffed out another burst of flames, showing off and experimenting at the same time. After each shot, she tried something different, blowing long thin streams of flames and great big puffs. She even managed to light one brave soul's cigarette without burning his eyebrows off.

She'd gotten distracted from her original bet by playing around with the flames she was producing, but she was brought back to the contest when the first of the Beacon students dropped out. At first, he simply pushed his chair away from the table. He blinked owlishly and shook his head when offered the next shot, though, and officially became the first to give up.

It was then that Yang realized she wasn't feeling even the lightest buzz from the alcohol she'd consumed. The rest of her opponents were obviously feeling at least some effects. The guy to her left was swaying just a bit, and the guy beside him seemed to think that everything was a lot funnier than anyone else did. The girl to Yang's right was glaring intently at the glass in front of her as if she could win the best by sheer willpower. Yang herself felt no different, and she began to wonder if the flames she was playing with were actually burning the alcohol before it could enter her bloodstream.

That question was answered halfway through the second bottle of Grey Grimm when the last Beacon student thumped his head down on the table and weakly waved his hand at the faunus that was pouring the shots. Yang was still sober as a rock, but a huge grin had taken over her face nonetheless. She was impervious to the effects of alcohol, and she'd just won a hundred lien because of it.

After magnanimously paying for the two bottles of Grey Grimm and throwing a generous tip for the bartender for not throwing her and Aureus out when he'd noticed them. Yang went home with slightly less than half of the original bet. Learning something new about her semblance had been exciting, though. Now if she could just figure out how to show it off to Ruby without getting them both in huge trouble.

AN: This might have crossed the line into ridiculousness. The original thought was that Yang's system burns so hot that it's like pouring alcohol on a fire, but the practical application may have gotten away from me.

Since Beacon's like a university, I'm saying the legal drinking age is the same as the entrance age for Beacon: seventeen.


	28. Banned

**BANNED  
** _Favorite Trailer (Continued)_

AN: This picks up after the events of the last chapter and expands on how Yang got herself banned from Junior's.

Having just learned a new party trick, Yang was feeling quite pleased with herself. She could tell she was almost strutting, but she couldn't be bothered to stop herself. Even Aureus, who had almost fainted when she first made that bet with the Beacon students, was riding high on her subsequent win.

They strutted up to the bar. Yang rapped her knuckles on the polished surface and called, "Two beers, please."

When the bartender proved to be the same one who had brought the drinks for her bet earlier that evening, she looked a little less sure of herself.

"Look, little girl," she said. "I don't want any trouble, and serving minors in my club is exactly how trouble happens." When Yang opened her mouth to protest, he cut her off. "You did some pretty fancy tricks over there; but now that you've proven your point, it's time for you and your boyfriend to move on."

"We - ah - we're not," Aureus began, but the bartender was already pouring cocktails for a pair of faunus girls standing at the other end of the bar.

"Don't think he cares, buddy," Yang muttered, lightly smacking Aureus' chest with the back of her hand to shut him up. "We have apparently been cut off for the night."

"Yeah, looks like it," Aureus agreed. "So now what?"

Yang shrugged. "I've got some cash. You want to hit A Simple Wok?"

Before Aureus could agree, though, they were distracted by a raised voice coming from the other end of the bar.

Two guys wearing scruffy leather jackets had approached the faunus the bartender had abandoned Yang and Aureus for just a few moments earlier. One man was leaning on the bar on either side of the pair of faunus, pinning the two young women between them. Judging by the way the faunus were beginning to back away from the bar, it was pretty obvious they weren't happy with the attention they were getting.

"Aw, come on," the man closest to Yang and Aureus said. "Just one little rub." He reached for the brown-furred bear ears atop one girl's head.

"No," she said forcefully. "Don't touch me."

Aureus turned to look for the bartender to see about getting security to help the girls. The bartender, however, wasn't in sight. When he turned back around, Yang was gone. He almost didn't even need to look to know she was marching toward the men bothering the faunus.

"Hey there," Yang chirped in a sing-song voice when she reached the group.

Everyone turned to look at her, and the man closest to Yang grinned widely at her. She noticed his eyes weren't exactly on her face, and tilted her head sideways until he made eye contact. As soon as he did, her smile turned from vapid and bubbly to menacing.

"She said not to touch her." Yang enunciated slowly as if the man and his friend just hadn't understood the first time they'd been told to stop.

The bear faunus took the opportunity to swat the man's hand away from her head. "Yeah. Beat it," she demanded.

The man jerked his hand back like he'd really been hurt by the blow. His face twisted up in a snarl as he looked between Yang and the bear faunus that had just popped his hand. He growled out curse words as he tried to decide which one to address first.

His friend, though, snapped upright from where he was leaning and pushed the other faunus woman out of the way before advancing on the one who had smacked his friend. He grabbed her arm and pulled her around to face him. "How dare you?" he ground out. "You animals belong in a kennel where you can't hurt people."

He might have planned to say something else, but Yang's fist closed his mouth for him. The man obviously wasn't a Huntsman because blood sprayed from his nose as his head snapped to the side. He caught himself on the bar but stayed hunched over it wheezing and clutching at his broken nose.

The sharp pop of a bottle breaking brought Yang's attention back to the other man. He'd hit her over the head with an empty beer bottle, but she'd been so mad at his buddy's behavior that the pain never registered. She could feel her eyes changing color, though.

A predator's smile crossed her lips as she turned fully toward the man. "Last chance to change your mind, buddy," she offered.

"You stupid animal lover," he answered.

Yang shrugged and took a swing at him.

Aureus could only watch in disbelief. Yang had a protective streak a mile wide, but starting a fight with two grown men was a little extreme even for her. He massaged his left temple where a headache was starting as he watched for an opportunity to pull Yang out of the fight without anyone else getting hurt.

A circle had cleared around the fighters as soon as Yang had landed her first punch. No one seemed to want to be in the middle of the fight; but, at the same time, everyone seemed content to watch it happen. The only ones who even looked like they might try to break the fight up were the two faunus that the men had been bothering. They were both yelling at the combatants to stop, though their words fell on deaf ears.

The man turned out to be more of a fighter than his friend, and squared up to face Yang in a boxer's stance. Her lips pulled back, more a showing of teeth than a grin. He might think he was something special; but he'd made her angry, and that never ended well for her opponents.

He came at her with a hook-cross combo that she didn't even bother to block. She took both blows to the face and saw her hair start to glow out of the corner of her eye. With the added strength of her Semblance to back the blow, she let loose with a haymaker that would have lifted the man off his feet if a huge bouncer hadn't pulled him back by his shirt collar at the last second.

"Get 'em outta here!"

Those were the first words Yang had clearly heard since her first punch. With her opponents out of commission, she looked around to see who was talking. It turned out to be the bartender, who was now standing on top of the bar pointing to the nearest exit.

"We got 'em, Junior," a second bouncer called from beside Yang. He grabbed her elbow and started towing her toward the exit before she realized what he was going.

"Hey! Those guys were hassling those faunus. They started it!" she protested.

"Don't care," the bouncer barked as he propelled Yang out the back door of the club. The other bouncer had dragged one other fighter out a different door, and they were nowhere to be seen. "You're banned," the bouncer announced unceremoniously before stomping back inside and slamming the door behind him.

Yang stared at the door for a moment before turning away. She'd managed to sneak into a club, win a hundred lien off of some Beacon students, blow fire like a real life dragon, and get kicked out of said club for fighting. It wasn't a bad night, all things considered.

She stretched until she felt a satisfying pop in her lower back. With that, she headed around to the front of Junior's to find Aureus. She'd promised to treat him to A Simple Wok, after all.


	29. Destined

Pyrrha Nikos was destined to be a Huntress. It was a fact her parents, teachers, and trainers had always agreed on. Beyond a shadow of a doubt, she was meant to be a Huntress.

Her father was a professional Huntsman, and his excitement when she'd shown an interest in combat when she was a little girl knew no bounds. He'd given her a little wooden sword when she was six and immediately started teaching her how to handle it safely. When she'd shown an aptitude for sword fighting, he'd been immensely proud of his Little Huntress, as he called her from then on.

Her mother was not a Huntress. All Pyrrha knew at six, when she'd started on her road to become a Huntress, was that her mother worked in one of the biggest office buildings in the city, which was much less exciting to her at that age than the stories of adventure her father always returned with. As Pyrrha grew, she learned that her mother was, in fact, the Vice President of Marketing at her company. The position wasn't as exciting to Pyrrha as her father's adventures with Grimm and bandits; but it was no less impressive to her, even though she knew she didn't want to follow in her Mother's footsteps.

As she got older and her Semblance manifested, Pyrrha was more and more convinced that she should become a Huntress. She truly enjoyed fighting. Nothing was more exciting than the physicality required when meeting her opponent and the mental challenge of balancing the use of her Semblance with the strength of her Aura.

She'd grown up with her father's stories of great Huntsmen and Huntresses past who had fought and sacrificed so others could prosper. She'd loved them as much as she'd loved her mother's fairytales about great heroes and brave deeds against terrible monsters and evil wizards. The dedication to protecting others that tended to be the theme of those tales and that her father himself displayed had become an integral part of Pyrrha's character by the time she was old enough to choose a combat school.

Despite her difficulty making friends when she was young, she found she very much loved people. Her mother's work in the main business district of their city brought her into contact with a lot of folks from different walks of life, and each and every one of them fascinated her. Even when she felt like an outsider, Pyrrha knew that there could be no more noble goal than to make sure that people had the chance to live the lives they truly wanted; and she knew that the best way for her to help them do that was to utilize her fighting abilities as a Huntress.

As much as she wanted to dedicate her life to protecting others, she'd always been a bit removed from those others that she wanted to protect. As an only child, she hadn't had the early bonds a sibling could bring. Both of her parents were only children as well, so she didn't even have any cousins who could have taken the place of siblings.

Her aptitude for combat had always set her apart from other children in subtle ways. When she was quite young, parents had been wary about letting her play with their children because of her rambunctious nature. As she got older, the other children had begun to shy away from her of their own accord because she almost always won whatever game they played, whether it was a game of Hunters and Grimm or a simple game of tag.

By the time she'd started at her primary combat school, practically everything in her life had conspired to set her apart from her peers. She had gradually curbed her rambunctious nature and become more shy and self-conscious as she'd gotten older. Though her public persona was one of steadfast self-confidence, the "real Pyrrha," as she thought of herself when she was out of the spotlight, harbored all the insecurities any other teenage girl might. Her mother's position as a high-powered businesswoman and her own success on the tournament circuit caused people to expect her to be stuck up, and her own shyness was interpreted as aloofness. Her combat skill intimidated the other students, tending to turn them into either perpetual challengers or adoring fans, neither of which were the friends she so desperately wanted.

Instead, she had thrown herself into training to fill her lonely free time, honing her natural skills until she was known throughout Remnant as the Invincible Girl. Her new title only served to further separate her from those she wanted to be her friends, though she did her best to be friendly and polite no matter the dejection she felt. She turned her sadness and loneliness to even more exhaustive training until she had graduated at the top of her class to applause from fans and sneers from enemies she'd never meant to make.

Hoping desperately to find the companionship she'd craved most of her life, she'd begged and pleaded with her parents to let her go to attend Beacon as her secondary combat school. Certainly, people from Vale might know who she was, but she dearly hoped that she could be just another new face at Beacon like every other incoming first-year student. As much as they would miss her, both of her parents agreed to let her go to Beacon if that was really what she anted. Her father approved of Headmaster Ozpin's reputation for turning out exceptional Huntsmen and Huntresses. Her mother seemed to realize that Pyrrha's motivations were more personal than professional and agreed to let her go as long as she promised to call at least once a week. Pyrrha'd promised to call so often they'd ask her to stop before a month had passed and crushed both her parents to her in a fierce hug.

This new chapter of her life was going to be the best one yet; she could just feel it. It was destiny.


End file.
